Chemistry is that ineffable, undecipherable, magical quality that supposedly helps good NASCAR teams become great NASCAR teams. And, at some point in almost any conversation with anyone even tangentially associated with a team, the word will be employed.

Teams as a whole need to have chemistry, it helps if owner and driver share chemistry, and, always the most important, if drivers and crew don’t have good chemistry, well, son, you might as well pack it in and start looking for that ARCA ride.

Bearing in mind chemistry’s importance, consider the news that Elliott Sadler, unceremoniously dumped in favor of AJ Allmendinger by Gillett Evernham Motorsports just before Christmas, intends to sue GEM. Sadler, who signed a contract extension earlier in 2008, maintains that his only goal is to secure his job as driver of the No. 19 in 2009 … for the hell of it, let’s assume he wins and somehow manages to find himself back at GEM in another month or so – think there might be a few hard feelings over there in the No. 19 shop?

Chemistry? Elliott Sadler and GEM and the No. 19 team, they don’t need no stinkin’ chemistry!!